Egypt's FM says joining defense agreements requires legal, constitutional review

CAIRO, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Thursday that joining defense agreements requires careful study and legal and constitutional considerations, according to state-run Nile TV.

Speaking at a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in the Mediterranean coastal city of New Alamein, Abdelatty said Egypt had been informed in advance of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement recently signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan.

Egypt "is engaged in the quadrilateral framework" with Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, Abdelatty said.

Egypt has exceptionally strong bilateral relations with the three countries, he said, noting that "these relations are not limited to the political sphere."

Fidan expressed hope that Egypt would join the agreement.

He added that "history and geography place a great responsibility on Türkiye and Egypt toward the region," stressing that Turkish-Egyptian relations would contribute to achieving peace and stability in the region.

Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan signed the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement on Friday, pledging to strengthen collective deterrence against acts of aggression and declaring that any armed attack against one of the three countries will be considered an attack against them all. Enditem